Eating healthy, staying fit: Diaries of The Wellness Log

This article is part of a series we are running ahead of the Mada Marketplace event to feature the participating vendors.

If you had told me a year ago that I’d be writing an article promoting the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, I would have laughed and asked you to pass me the last cupcake. 

Before starting my journey with The Wellness Log, I used to think everyone should be able to eat what they want, when they want and however much of it they want. There are numerous reasons why some people overeat and why it’s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes it’s as simple as this: food is fun. And being married to a man who loves to bake meant that I didn’t even have to work for my chocolate chip cookies. 

I didn’t envy those forced into counting calories or eating salads for lunch. For me, that translated into having a negative body image and I, on the other hand, was always confident in the way I was regardless of how much I weighed.  But I also didn’t realize that this attitude would  be taking a toll on my health. Sure, it’s great to be able to eat whatever you want, but at the same time eating this type of food on a daily basis without maintaining an active lifestyle left me with depleted energy, chronic stomach pains and bad skin. 

It all started about a year ago, out of pure curiosity, after finding out that my husband, who was largely responsible for feeding me, was ordering a Wellness Log of his own. I claimed I did it out of support, but really I just knew that I would no longer be getting pancakes for breakfast.

The first week, withdrawal symptoms hit hard. I was angry, depressed and had horrible mood swings — the same way it feels when a smoker tries quitting, I figure. Instead of jonesing for a puff of nicotine, I wanted the aftertaste of complex carbs and the oily residue of fried food on my fingertips. The cheat meal on day seven was like the light at the end of a dark, sugar-free tunnel.

I wasn’t hopeful about making it through the next seven weeks of The Wellness Log’s customized two-month meal and workout plan.

By week three, my body started craving clean, healthy meals rather than the usual grease-filled or sugar-loaded ones. Even during the weekly cheat meal, I would have a lot more trouble digesting the food and would sometimes be in pain afterwards. But it served as a reminder of what I had put my body through on a daily basis.

Honestly though, eating right is not always the most appealing choice, especially when we live in a culture where every social gathering is centered on food. It is a daily struggle – one day you’re motivated, and others you’re on the verge of giving up.

It was even harder for me, someone who isn’t too fond of being in the kitchen, to learn different recipes for clean eating and spend a lot more time preparing meals. But it taught me discipline in a lot of ways and developed my self-control, because we all know how hard it is to turn down cake at a birthday party.

What resonated with me about The Wellness Log is that it isn’t about eating less — you get three main meals a day and two snacks — but it is about eating the right things, things that your body can actually absorb nutrients from. I’d tried dieting before during my high school years, and even though I was the same weight back then that I am now, I looked a lot weaker and my face was a constantly pale. That’s why a nutrition plan is much more important to healthy living than a diet is, because it’s about keeping you nourished rather than decreasing food intake.

For me, exercise is the fun part. I had always loved exercising, but, before, I’d swing by the McDonald’s drive-thru on the way home from a Crossfit session. But exercise without proper nutrition yields little to no results and can become more frustrating.

As the weeks rolled on, seeing the results was very rewarding, not just for the way it showed physically, but because I had a lot more energy, I was stronger, I stopped having chronic stomach aches and I even had better skin.

By the end of my first log, what once seemed like an eight-week experiment turned into a way of life. I’m constantly improving, getting stronger, lifting heavier and feeling like I’m in better health. It became so much more than just the physical transformation, although that does have its perks, and affected several aspects of my life.

I’m currently on my fourth log and each one has come with its own set of goals and challenges. I learned more about my body in the past year than I have in my whole life, and the most important lesson has been learning to go at my own pace and set realistic expectations for myself.

For example, based on my body type, I would never aim to look like a skinny Gisele-type model, but I can definitely be a Beyonce. Yup, that’s my goal.

Read more about why Mada Masr is organizing a marketplace event here.